Disney’s Moana is the second time they have visited Polynesian. The first was the fun Lilo and Stitch. This time around, Moana goes for mythical adventure.
Moana is a young woman, destined to be chief of her island, like her father before her. But part of her longs to go beyond the reef at the entrance to the island’s cove. She tries to fulfill her duties, and is doing well, until she suggests going beyond the reef, as the fishermen are catching no fish. The coconuts are spoiling.
The reason is, because long ago, the Demi-God Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti…and this resulted in a malevolent force spreading across the sea. Moana’s people have not left the island for fears of what lies beyond the reef, but Moana finds no choice when the sea gives her the Heart of Te Fiti. She seeks out Maui to make him right his wrong. The two are forced to endure each other on the mission.
Mismatched heroes is nothing new, and yet, the personalities of Moana and Maui are quite charming. This is in spite of the fact that Maui is a tremendously egotistical guy who sees everything he has done as heroic. Moana is both responsible and adventurous, which is a bit more unique. Often, it seems brash and impulsive heroes have to learn the lesson of responsibility. Not Moana.
The fact is, rather than take the easy route of making impediments for Moana some brand of villain? They opted for making them likeable and relatable. The one time we see Moana’s father express anger, it is not cruel or abusive. It is out of personal fear that Moana may be to much like him. Her parents are loving. Her grandmother is gentle, wise and goofy.
The writers and Dwayne Johnson are able to imbue Maui with charm even when he is being stubborn and selfish. You want to see him turn it around.
The animation in Moana is vibrant and beautiful. It is fluid, like the ocean it crosses. The concept of Maui’s tattoos being a living part of him that act as a conscience is a terrific idea. It is also worth noting that the tattoos are hand drawn and animated. They are seamless with the digital animation.
The songs, by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina are both powerful and engaging fun. The more Polynesian influenced songs play, they swell and explode with a certain power. The more pop songs (there is one Bowie-esque songs that is truly enjoyable) make you want to move.
The story is inspiring, built on thoughtful dialog, along with a whole lot of humor. I have tried to find something not to like. But you know what? I cannot. Moana was pure joy to watch.
Disney decided to make the series a Trilogy. Well, at least until they come up with a Santa Clause 4 or maybe a series reboot with Chris Hemsworth as Scott Calvin. In this film, we are introduced to Jack Frost, who feels like the most under appreciated of the Legendary Figures. He schemes to find a way to be famous and sets his site on the throne of Santa Clause.
The Santa Clause 2 takes place about eight to ten years into Scott’s run as Santa Claus. He is informed that somehow a Clause has been missed. The Mrs. Clause. Scott needs to find a wife before Christmas. And to top it off, his teen son Charlie is on the naughty list.
At the height of Tim Allen’s power, he was tapped by Disney for this family comedy. Surprisingly, it is not simply a transplant of the Tim Taylor character into a movie. Scott Calvin is, in fact, a very effective toy executive. But as a father, he is not so successful. When his ex-wife and her husband drop Scott’s son Charlie off for Christmas Eve, Charlie asks if he has to stay. Scott struggles to make the night fun for Charlie, but he does a pretty terrible job. Fatherhood feels like a distant skill for him.
EC was the controversial publisher of crime and horror comics in the 1950’s. The comics code kind of killed them. Funny enough, the EC Comics stories were very “moral”. Each story involved people doing evil and getting their comeuppance. In 1972 there was a film based on the comics, adapting the stories. And All Through the House was included in the anthology…it was a very serious affair with Joan Collins. It is extremely serious. In 1989, HBO brought the Crypt Keeper to the television scream, I mean, screen. Using popular actors of the time (episodes featured Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Lithgow, among others). Some were big stars, some were rising stars, some waning and some unknowns who were discovered much later. It was a popular show that was eventually brought to the networks (albeit in an edited format) through syndication.
Of all the movies I have watched for this series, this Finnish production is the best of the lot. It is a terrific and creative movie. In the Korvatunturi Mountains two young boys spy on an excavation mission to locate the grave of Santa Claus. Pietari is concerned by this, as he still believes in Santa Claus. But he finds books in the attic telling the truth about Santa Claus. Santa and the Krampus are the same myth. Santa is not a perversion of sainthood here, but rather, a strange and frightening creature, long buried in the mountains. The excavation is a plan to raid the tomb of Santa.
A Christmas Horror Story is in the vein of Creepshow or the more recent Trick Or Treat. There are several stories, all loosely connected by by characters. For example, one story follows a teenager and her family, while her boyfriend is a part of another story. Three kids are trying to pull a Ghost Hunters types of investigation of a haunted school. They are watching video of a police walk through and one of the cops is the center of another story.
The Edge of Seventeen opens…well, over-dramatically. Nadine sits before her teacher, telling him she plans to kill herself. She simply felt an adult should know. The response is…unexpected. This leads to a recounting of Nadine’s life. She has always felt in the shadow of her brother. Kids in school were mean to her. She met her best and only friend in second grade. And then, one night her family is ripped apart.
Jon Favreau’s directorial career has managed a fair number of big budget hits. He set the tome for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the first two Iron Man films, and earlier this year wowed viewers with the Jungle Book. After the failure of Cowboy’s and Aliens, Favreau directed a string of episodes of high concept TV shows before returning to the screen with Chef.
I vaguely remember seeing the cover in video stores before VHS died out…I never got around to renting it…and part of that is because the Cannibal Genre was never my thing. Monster movies and some slashers? Sure.
Last month, Arrow Films released the film on Blu-ray. The picture (from a 2K restoration) gives the film a cleaner look than it ever could have gotten in all the years on VHS. There is a documentary My Microwave Massacre that gives a lot of background in interviews with Berwick, Muckler and actor Loren Schein who I thought I recognized from multiple roles only to find this was his only acting role. I realized later that he kind of reminded me of Special Effects King Rick Baker. It would have been nice if they could have included more cast and crew, but I also realize that it can be hard to reach people who disappeared from the business quickly (a majority of the cast have this one movie as their only credit). The audio commentary with Muckler is fun and informative. He and the moderator have a solid rapport (oddly, the disc menu says the commentary is with Berwick).
Tripping Through Gateways 